HUG A WEED

Let them grow.. and save cash by looking in hedges for grub

- BRENDAN MCFADDEN & HYWEL TREWYN

GARDEN experts are urging homeowners to let weeds grow as they are "heroes" that boost our environment.

The Royal Horticultural Society says the ugly plants are actually "your friend" and warns ripping them up disturbs bacteria and fungi which help gardens blossom.

Sheila Das, from the RHS, said: "We used to call them plants in the wrong place.

"They are not. They are plants in the right place. If you've got a weed, it's telling you what's going on underground" It comes as foraging experts say people should search hedges for free food amid the cost-of-living crisis.